Genre: Essay Author: Yuval Noah Harari (1976)
About the author: Yuval Noah Harari is a native of Israel. He was born on 24th February, 1976 in Israel. He is a philosopher, historian and the author of best selling author of Sapiens. He is a Co-founder of Sapiens and completed his PhD from the Oxford University.
Critical Analysis: According to this essay, the people of the present world are thinking that they are the master of this universe. People of different country and religion claiming that they have the greatest contribution for all this civilization but the author writes, human thought about their superiority is useless and it is only an illusion that has made him blind to understand others. Humility, art, morality creativity and spirituality is embedded (attached) on our DNA. The author also says how people are believing on their religion and superiority and how they are losing morality, humbleness along with it. All the people are thinking that they are the centre of the world. No one is superior than them. But the author tries to make it clear that every individual is important in his existence. We should not create discrimination among us regarding our religion, culture, country etc.
The Chinese people (nationalists) are thinking that the human history started from the Yellow Emperor and the Xia and Shang dynasties. The Western countries, Hindus and Muslims are only using the pale copies of the Chinese civilization. They believe that all the credit of this human civilization must go to the China or Chinese People. They are revealing that all the other countries of the world are inferior than them. Everything was possible only because of them.
Hindus or Indians are claiming that whatever nuclear bombs and aeroplanes we can see in the present time, all these were invented by the people or Sadhus of subcontinent regions of India. They claim that they are the pioneers of all the inventions and discoveries. They also want to prove that they are superior that other countries in Science and Technology. According to them all the rockets and aeroplanes were invented by the Great Sages and Bhardhwaj. Bishwamitra invented and used missiles. They also say that the father of Atomic Theory is Acharya Kanad. and Mahabharata used nuclear energy long in the past before the existence of Plato or Confuscious.
Similarly, the Muslim people claim that human history was vague before the birth of Prophet Muhammad. Human civilization began from the revelation of the Quran. Prophet Muhammad propounded Muslim religion. He is the ‘Guru’ of all the muslim people. They are also showing that they are great and superior than other people of different religion of the world. Turkish, Iranian and Egyptian nationalists say that prior to the birth of Muhammad the human civilization was made possible by them. And they preserved their religion to protect the earth even after the revelation of the Quran. In this way
British, French, German, American, Russian and Japanese say that there was violence. People used to be barbarous and immoral. They have brought change in the earth. Human civilisation was made possible by them. So that they are the superior than other.
The Aztecs ( the ancient people) believe that without the sacrifices they performed each year, the sun would not rise. They say the universe disintegrates if there is no Aztecs. So to them, they are the most important in the world.
The author says, his own people, the Jews, think that they are the most important thing in the world. In the Jews community if they hear about some new human achievement and invention, they are ready to claim the credit for it. According to him, When he was practising Yoga in Israel, his Yoga Guru said that Abraham is the inventor of the Yoga. And all the basic yoga postures derive from the shape of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Abraham taught different Yoga postures to one of his concubine’s son who later went to India and started teaching Yoga to the people of India. The knowledge of Yoga was a gift to his concubines son Isaac that he preached in the eastern countries. All this is mentioned in the Bible clearly. Therefore they think they are the most important than the other people.
The writer says, whatever people are thinking about their country, religion and civilization that is all fake. They think all the inventions and discoveries are possible only due to them . Actually they don’t know the reality about their civilization. But they are creating discrimination among the people living various part of the world. Long before people had this illusion of their own greatness, people used to rear animals, they planted trees. There was no religion, language or country. But when people had wisdom and knowledge, different civilization took place and thereafter other sectors started to be developed. How Chinese people are claiming that the human history began from the Yellow Emperor and the Muslims believe that it was possible from the time of prophet Muhammad in the present time, all this is fake. It is only a kink of egotism and their foolishness. The secular people don’t believe in such claims of different religion. The writer suggests that some claim about the human history, some claim about the human civilization and some claim about the inventions and discoveries and trying to show them more important and even more powerful. Nobody wants to be junior. It is only their false egotism. This should be stopped. No one is inferior or superior. Everyone has a distinct capacity or efficiency so no one is all perfect and all are equal. There should not be the thought of superiority in the heart of people. In his essay, Yuval Noah Harari deals with a controversial debate on human history. He is also urging people to follow the path of humility.
The end.
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Yuval Noah Harari
a historian, philosopher and a bestselling author. He is a lecturer in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
